The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

genre: adult fiction

Elenora is not just a bright child. Born in a town on the outskirts of the greatly diminished Ottoman Empire, she's got an adult sense of gravity that only increases as she learns and grows. When she ends up in the ancient river port city of Stamboul, the eight year old Eleanor finds herself in the thick of political happenings that will change both the course of her life and the reign of His Excellency, the Sultan.

This is a lovely piece of historical fiction. Told mostly through the eyes of a child, we also glimpse bot the intricate decisions of the Sultan as well as the delicate strength of a girl wise beyond her years. What I really loved was the slightest touch of magical realism, really, just a pinch, enough to make it feel like Eleanora was really on the brink of being someone too much for this world. And the setting with its political intrigue, obscure historical sites and multicultural landscape really captured my attention.

I loved the poetic writing style and the switching of the narrative from character to character. I loved finding out how far Eleanora's intelligence could go. I loved how clearly these characters loved the written word. My only complaint was that the ending wasn't as climactic or fleshed out as I would've liked, but it still definitely earns its 4 stars.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

genre: adult fiction

Poor Quentin. It's lonely to grow up a complete and utter genius. Find things to do that are satisfying isn't easy when nothing costs the least amount of effort. His happy place? The pages of a series of books about a fantasy land called Fillory. Talking animals, noble quests, magic and children as heroes - it was a safe space where he could imagine a world where he could truly belong.

And then, the unthinkable happens. He's invited to go to a magical college. Yes. MAGICAL college. Where you learn to do real magic. Suddenly the world has shifted and what seemed like an impossibility, a daydream, has become a reality and Quentin finds that he excels at magic just like he does at everything else.

Things get dicey, though. Just because he learns how to do "good" magic doesn't mean that there aren't people out there who do the other kind. And learning how to be an adult with a bunch of magicians isn't all that uncomplicated either. Relationships and decisions are as tricky - or trickier - than in our "real" world. And soon, even Quentin's wildest dreams will take him on a journey he wouldn't have dared imagine.

As a unashamed Potter-head, I liked this book from the start because there is a lot of that same initial plot line of normal-boy-finds-out-his-greatness. And the magic school, of course. But this book is much darker. Darker in that Quentin starts out older and makes darker and more questionable decisions and lives among a far more...shall we say...promiscuous set of people. I ended up really liking the plot arc (for a while there I wasn't sure if I would) and the climax was pretty amazing and unexpected. If you already love Naria and Hogwarts and Middle Earth, you will see so much of the spirit of those novels within the Magicians that you'll either love it or you'll feel like it's TOO much (I wavered between those two poles most of the time).

In the end, I was satisfied. Do I wish it wasn't quite so graphic in some parts? Yes. Do I wish that Quentin's language wasn't so foul? Yes. Did I need to skip through some scenes? Yes. But my brother warned me when he recommended it to me that it was a little "rough." He was right. It's rough. And let me say again - it's dark. Quentin isn't one for chipper-ness or looking on the bright side. He doesn't really know how to be a great friend and sometimes I wanted to clock him. My rating of three stars is a balance of great plot and writing style offset with some pretty rough content. Was it perfect? No. An intriguing read? I thought so.

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin

genre: young adult

When your mom is the high school principal, life can be really lame. And for Aggy, her solution is to "go Goth." You know, to wear all black, put on creepy black makeup and generally act like the world is yours to toy with. Look at her on the outside and, if she can help it, she'll scare the pants off of you.

But we get to see the inside of Aggy - and there is a lot of hurt and fear there. A lot of wanting to be loved and needing acceptance is under her pretty terrifying exterior and she's so afraid of loosing the tiny spot she's carved for herself at school that she'll keep any of the "real" Aggy buried deep.

The Prom? SO lame. Aggy wishes it didn't even exist but then, this year, the election for prom royalty turns into a catastrophe on so many different levels that Aggy cannot escape from it. And some serious choices have to be made.

For me, honestly, all the brouhaha over prom felt a little scripted. I wasn't dying to find out how that part sorted out, but Aggy and her personal life, her relationships were more intriguing. It's so hard to learn to stand up for yourself when all you want is to be loved - if nothing else, Zielin captured that teenage angst just right. The language is as foul as you'd imagine when someone is trying to hard to tick everyone else off. And, for those who care, there are a couple more graphic scenes to wade through. While the ending felt a bit too wrapped-up-with-a-bow, I liked the message it gives to teens, about making things right and giving your parents a chance.

Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) by Carol Tavris and Eliot Aronson

subtitle: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

genre: non-fiction

I know that I personally do not really enjoy admitting when I've made a mistake. I mean, I WANT to always be willing to, but it's tricky and sometimes pretty emotional. This book helps me to understand WHY it's tricky and emotional and what we can do to step myself out of the cycle.

Self-justification. That's their word for the things we say to ourselves to make us feel better when we make a mistake. It's also the things we say to other people to excuse away the mistakes we are unwilling to admit. They talk about presidents, celebrities and married couples and these examples of these people justifying their mistakes really makes it clear (even if it's hard to wade through the murk in our OWN circumstances).

Cognitive Dissonance. This was the phrase that has really stuck with me - somehow I've never heard of it before. When we have two opposite ideas in our head that we both believe to be true. How can I be a nice person (which I believe I am) and have done that bad thing (which I believe I did)? Well, that bad thing must not really be my fault, right? And then the self-justification starts.

Although it took me longer to work through that I'd have liked, I found a lot of the ideas very interesting and applicable. The authors' writing approach felt fresh and candid without too much jargon. I liked how they walked me through, step by step, how someone can become a ruthless dictator and still believe they are "a good person" and the section on "memory repression" was very intriguing also. Probably the best thing I can say about it is that it really has made me look deeper at my own thought processes and realized ways that I can be a better wife, mom and friend. I'd like to be the kind of person that can frankly apologize when I've done something wrong - so if nothing else, this book gave me the courage to believe that in any circumstance, I can do that.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

genre: adult fiction
for the Book Blogger Reading Swap

It's hard for me to calm down my feelings about this book enough to actually create sentences. I'm swimming in thoughts and it's hard to decide what's going to come out on top.

Daniel of post-civil war Barcelona. Dear Daniel, who is our narrator and our eyes as his story begins, is ten years old. The son of a bookseller, Daniel discovers a book whose mysterious author will occupy his thoughts throughout his adolescence. Curious and determined, Daniel seeks to find out what happened to the writer and his digging will place him into an even more mysterious story that's as deadly and convoluted as any novel.

There are some incredible characters in this book. Daniel is so wonderfully naive, thoughtful and yet self-centered in a way that we all are as teenagers. The character who becomes his best friend might be one of the most fabulously memorable characters I've gotten to know. And the bad guys? Oh dear. There is horribleness that Daniel could've never anticipated when he opened the first page of that beloved novel.

I want to say that I loved it and yet was really disturbed by it at the same time. There is so much pain within these pages. I mean, the kind of pain that rips apart cities and families and hearts, sometimes all at once. But also, there is so much love. Not only love between people, but a love of books, of the written word and of those whose hearts are poured into their pages. This book creates such a wonderful thread between those who choose to write and those who take the time to read, that there is a sacred space there than can transcend personal familiarity or age or time.

Books can change us. That's a message that rang loud and clear for me. And while there are some graphic scenes and language that could make a sailor blush, let the record show that this book amazed me. It amazed me with plot puzzle pieces that should've never fit together and yet somehow seamlessly did. There is a frightening darkness in this story that sometimes was almost alive, it was so permeating, but then there would be these beautiful and tender moments that just would bring out the sun.

If one book can make me feel things so deeply, then it's a beautiful thing.